Changes in Bias Across America: An Explorable Map
Research suggests that Americans are showing a reduction in some implicit biases. Explore interactive maps to see what’s changing and what’s not.
New research suggests that Americans are showing a reduction in some implicit biases.
Use the slider bars to explore the maps below and see how implicit age, race, and sexuality bias have changed from 2007 to 2020 across the U.S.
Over a 14 year period, which bias do you think has reduced a lot? A little? Not at all? Before you look, try to predict which bias you think will show the most and the least change.
National Average
National Average
National Average
Interesting fact: when change occurs, it is observed in all demographic groups - young and elderly, liberal and conservative, more educated and less educated, on the coasts and in the middle of the country. Although some groups have reduced slightly faster (young people, liberals), the trends towards lower bias are widespread.
Now we know: Our society is capable of becoming less biased... and for good!
Why are some biases not reducing or not reducing fast enough? Generate your own hypotheses and tell us what you think.
Highlights
While we know that implicit bias is changing, how, why, and when are open questions.
It appears that all demographic groups (male and female, old and young, Black and White, gay and straight, liberal and conservative) are becoming less biased.
Two groups are changing faster toward neutrality than others: younger people and self-reported political liberals – more so than older people and political conservatives
While anti-gay bias has changed dramatically in the past decade, other biases like disability and body weight bias are not changing much at all. They remain at about the same level of negativity as they were in 2007.
References
Charlesworth, T. E., & Banaji, M. R. (2019). Patterns of Implicit and Explicit Attitudes: I. Long-Term Change and Stability from 2007 to 2016. Psychological Science, 30, 174-192.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618813087
Credits
“Changes in Bias Across America: An Explorable Map” was created and developed by Evan Younger, Olivia Kang, Alex Sanchez, and Mahzarin Banaji.
Support for Outsmarting Implicit Bias comes from Harvard University, PwC, and Johnson & Johnson.